


numerous ways of being us

by smartbuckley



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Body Worship, Brief Appearance of Roman Reigns, Brief Appearance of Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black, Christopher Diaz POV, Crossover, Cuddling in Bed, Episode Spoilers, Established Relationship, First Dates, First Kisses, Gen, Getting Together, Jealous Christopher Diaz, Jealous Eddie Diaz, Jealous Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Jealous Evan "Buck" Buckley, M/M, Mentions of Henrietta Wilson, Mentions of Marjan Marwani, Mentions of Mateo Chavez, POV Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Scars, episode speculation, short and sweet, valentines day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 10,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23150890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smartbuckley/pseuds/smartbuckley
Summary: Each chapter is a single story/oneshot that is under 1,000 words for the 9-1-1 fandom. Pairings, prompts, triggers and more are in the chapter summary.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 42
Kudos: 179





	1. jealousy, not so much

**Author's Note:**

> For the following prompt: _So imagine this, Eddie meets his favorite WWE wrestler (Roman Reigns) and he freaks out, after asking for an autograph because Buck encourage him into asking, Roman ask if Buck is Eddie boyfriend. Eddie starts to ramble but ends up on saying no because he hasn’t told Buck anything. Then this proceeds into Roman asking Buck out and Eddie being all jealous but in secret. And stuff_.
> 
>  **Triggers/Warnings** : Jealous Buck, Roman Reigns, Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black (brief), Jealous Seth (brief). You don't need any knowledge of WWE to understand this chapter.

“Eddie, just go get his autograph,” Buck asks with a laugh, shaking his head as Eddie looks at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, laughing even more when Eddie shakes his own head.

“How am I just supposed to go up to him and  _ ask _ him for an autograph?” Eddie asks and Buck swears he can hear his best friend’s heart beating out of his chest. Taking another laugh, Buck steps closer to Eddie and nudges him, teasing.

“Because there are other people doing the exact same thing as you, man,” Buck says, folding his arms in front of his chest when he hears Eddie let out a sound like a mouse after Buck pushes him lightly, arching his eyebrow at his best friend. Buck continues to shake his head, a grin forming on his face as he watches Eddie go up to his favorite wrestler and, eventually, get to him and ask for his autograph. 

Buck watches carefully, his grin fading slowly when he realizes that Eddie is  _ talking _ to the wrestler, and the wrestler is talking back, Eddie’s cheeks turning red as his fingers run through his hair, something Buck knows Eddie does when he’s embarrassed by being flirting with. Arching one of his eyebrows, Buck takes a step forward, stopping suddenly when Eddie lets out a laugh - something in Buck’s stomach swooping to the point where Buck thinks he’s about to vomit. Taking a breath, Buck takes another step forward, frowning when he hears the wrestler ask Eddie something about going out.

Taking another deep breath in time with another step, Buck ends up standing next to Eddie with his head tilted.

“Everything okay?” He asks, clearing his throat as both Eddie and the wrestler look at him, though the wrestler has a small smirk on his face.

“Oh yeah, no, everything is --” Eddie begins only to be interrupted.

“I was just asking your friend if you were single. Hi, I’m Roman,” the wrestler says, taking his hand out to shake Buck’s, and Buck takes it immediately, shaking it before gulping when he feels the heat radiating off the man before he lets go, coughing and clearing his throat once more, his own cheeks turning red.

“Oh,” he says after a few minutes of feeling awkward, silence reigning around the three of them before Buck chuckles. Opening and closing his mouth, Buck can’t help but chuckle once more, Eddie looking at him with a frown and the wrestler -- Roman, Buck thinks -- looking at him with a small smirk that’s beginning to grow. Buck can admit, as his eyes rake over Roman’s body, that the other man is attractive and gets his pulse racing, and that if Buck was an earlier version of himself, he would gladly take the man up on his offer, however, he looks past the man and sees another man, watching them wearily, and can’t help but arch his eyebrow when the man’s eyes meet his, a small glare on his face.

“Uh, thanks, but no thanks? I think the man over there would kill me if I said yes, and I’m kind of interested in something more substantial right now, admittedly,” Buck says, looking towards Eddie briefly, hoping Eddie doesn’t realize Buck is talking about him, before he’s nodding his head towards the man behind Roman, who turns red and sputters, Roman laughing before he turns back to Buck.

“Well, how about this - I’ll go out with him, and you go out with your best friend here,” Roman says, the smirk still on his face as both Eddie and Buck sputter, Buck looking at the wrestler with wide eyes as Eddie chuckles awkwardly.

“Why--” Buck begins, shaking his head while Eddie groans and roman interrupts.

“Your friend over here is interested in you, and I saw how you were looking at him when you thought I was flirting with him. I figured I’d do a little matchmaking,” Roman winks and Buck lets out a small moan before turning towards Eddie and sighing softly.

“Thanks, Roman, but I think Eddie and I can handle our own love life without you interrupting. But you should definitely go out with  _ your _ friend,” Buck says, stepping backwards while Roman lets out a belly laugh.

“Oh, I already do,” he teases, winking before saying goodbye, wrapping his arm around the smaller man, fingers running through the man’s brown hair, tugging on the bun gently. Buck turns towards Eddie after this, arching his eyebrow at his best friend.

“If Roman wasn’t joking, or teasing - I would like to go out with you,” Buck whispers, smiling when Eddie turns towards him with wide eyes.

“Really?” Eddie asks, arching his eyebrow while Buck grins.

“Really. Because I admit, I was jealous when I thought he was flirting with you,” Buck admits, stepping forward, Eddie following suit as his arms wrap around Buck’s neck, Buck’s heart pounding in his chest while Eddie hums.

“Well then, I would gladly go out with you. Are you free Friday night?” Eddie asks and Buck can’t help but grin, leaning forward to place his forehead against Eddie’s.

“Absolutely available. Is 6:30 good for you?”

“You know it is,” Eddie says and both men laugh, closing their eyes before stepping back, their fingers interlacing as they continue their walk through the park, shy smiles being thrown their way by the other, excitement in the air.


	2. meeting the parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post 4.03 coda for the following prompt: _What happens at Eddie’s parents’ place with Buck (and Hen)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

When Buck wakes up inside of the truck, it's to Eddie gently waking him up by shaking his shoulder saying his name softly. Briefly, Buck thinks about how he wouldn't mind Eddie waking him up every day before he blinks the thoughts away and sits up properly, thankful there's no drool on the window this time. With another few more blinks, Buck takes in his surroundings, noticing the home to the side of the truck with it's lawn and trimmed trees, a small smile on his face before he turns towards Eddie.

"This is where you grew up?" He asks, shifting in the chair and stretching, a small moan escaping from him as he arches his back a certain way, eyes slipping closed briefly while Eddie hums.

"It's nothing much, but it was home," Eddie says, his voice soft, and Buck nods, thinking about how he had grown up in a large home that had been empty and cold inside and out before he lets out a soft sigh and turns to look outside once more, nerves coursing throughout his system at the fact that he's going to be really meeting Eddie's parents.

Something must show on his face because Eddie looks at him with a small frown on his face as Hen steps out of the truck.

"Everything okay?" Eddie asks and Buck nods, gulping, before he turns towards Eddie and bites on his lower lip, remembering what Dr. Copeland said about trying not to hide his feelings from everyone he cares about, to talk about what is going through his mind more than hiding it.

"It's the first time I'm meeting your parents. Like, actually meeting them." Buck whispers, ignoring the way Eddie looks at him with confusion, head tilted in thought before he smiles softly and Buck smiles in response not sure what's going through his best friend's mind.

"Why does that make you nervous?" Eddie asks and Buck turns away briefly before looking back with another soft sigh.

"What if -- what if they blame me for losing Christopher during the tsunami? What if they use that as a way to like, get you to move back here?" Buck asks, looking down at his hands for a moment, blinking when Eddie laces their fingers together, looking back up at him.

"Even if they try --" Eddie begins, shaking his head, "I wouldn't leave LA. I wouldn't leave _you_ ," He adds with a shrug of his shoulders. "LA is my home, and you are very much part of my family. My parents will just have to deal with that if they try anything," Eddie finishes and Buck finds himself blinking once more, surprised and awed as Eddie's words register with him.

"Really?" Buck asks, biting his lip and looking down before looking back up at Eddie, heart pounding inside of his chest.

"Yeah, Buck, really. Christopher loves you, I --” Eddie pauses here, blinking, before continuing, “- every time we talk to my parents, he's mentioning you. I'm mentioning you. You are our family. And we're not --" Eddie pauses again and Buck watches him, curious, as Eddie clearly tries to figure out how words and what to say next.

"We're not leaving you," Eddie finishes, and Buck sucks back a breath, eyes widening. Before he can say anything, Hen is pounding on the window and Buck is jumping in surprise, turning towards the back.

"C'mon you two - I'm feeling awkward, standing here on Eddie's front lawn without Eddie." She says and Buck chuckles, shrugging to Eddie before opening the door and stepping outside, taking one more look around before Eddie leaves the truck next, squeezing his shoulder and making his way to the front of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please think about leaving me a comment. They motivate me to write more, and I always respond to them.


	3. jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck and Eddie feel jealous during the crossover event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for an anonymous prompt on my tumblr. Spoilers to the recent Lonestar episode.

He wasn't jealous. He _wasn't_ , Buck thinks, with a small frown as he watches Eddie and Marjan lean their heads in closer to look at something on his phone. He absolutely was **not** jealous, Buck thinks, folding his arms in front of his chest with a scowl forming on his face. Okay, maybe he was a little --

Buck didn't want to be jealous, but Eddie had abandoned him for whatever it was he and Marjan had done and now Eddie was eating with her and Buck was alone and -- Okay, so Buck was jealous. But Eddie was --

Well, Eddie wasn't his boyfriend, but Buck was pretty sure they were very close to becoming boyfriends and now Firefox, of all fucking people, was putting a dent in that and Buck hated it.

"If you keep glaring any longer, you're going to be more and more obvious," Buck hears and he looks up, blinking, seeing TK and Mateo sitting down opposite of him. His scowl lessens at the sight of them and something in his chest loosens but Buck looks back over to where Eddie and Marjan are sitting and the jealousy roars back to life. All he really wants to do is go over there and drag Eddie away, remind Eddie just who he --

No, Buck thinks, taking a deep breath and shaking his head. He shouldn't --

"Seriously, Buck, can you be more obvious?" Mateo chuckles and Buck lets out a small groan, shaking his head before he does his best to focus on the conversation between the three of them.

* * *

Eddie watches Buck out of the corner of his eye, a small frown on his face as he continues to show Marjan more photos of Chris - and Buck. A lot of his photos are of Chris and Buck, and he's not surprised - they're the two people he loves the most. If only he could actually do something about his feelings for the other man. Eddie knows they two of them are close, knows Buck feels the same way, even if nothing was ever said -

And as Eddie watches Buck talking to TK and Mateo, he can't help but feel a surge of something deep in his chest that makes him want to go up to Buck, who is currently laughing at something TK said, and kiss the sense out of him, just so everyone knows Buck is --

Well. You know. His. Even if Buck isn't --

"Would you just go over there and kiss him or something? Even the glares he was sending our way earlier made me want to say that," Marjan chuckles and Eddie blinks, looking over to her briefly before grinning.

"Maybe you're right" he says, standing up and heading towards Buck with a smirk on his face. He can see Buck look at him in confusion once he sits down next to Buck and Eddie can't help but let his smirk grow.

"Eddie, what--" Buck begins but Eddie surges forward, placing his hands on Buck's face, kissing him. Buck freezes for a minute before he goes pliant under Eddie, returning the kiss with a soft groan. The two get lost in one another for a few minutes before numerous people whistling interrupt them and Buck pulls away with red cheeks. Grinning, Eddie hums, kissing him once more before turning towards everyone.

"What? I just needed to remind Buck who he belonged to," Eddie says while Buck chuckles, squeezing Eddie's shoulder for a minute. Eddie looks back at him, still grinning, and the two ignore the whispers surrounding them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please think about leaving a comment for me. I always respond to them eventually, and they motivate me to write more. ♥ If I missed any tags/triggers, let me know.


	4. scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck is worshipped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for a prompt on tumblr where Buck and Eddie worship one another's scars.

The sun is just starting to rise when Buck wakes up. He has his blanket bundled around him tightly, like he was seeking warmth from it instead of the body he knows he fell asleep beside. Opening his eyes, Buck finds himself blinking a few times before realizing he's facing the bookshelf in his room, and slowly turns his body the other way, smiling when he spots Eddie laying on his back, the blanket he has surrounding him low on his hips. Buck continues to stare at Eddie, a soft smile forming on his face as his eyes rest on Eddie's face, blinking back up at him with his own small smile.

"Hi," Eddie whispers, shifting lightly, hands moving to Buck's neck and squeezing lightly, dragging him closer to Eddie, their lips joining as they share a brief kiss. When Buck pulls away, he doesn't pull away very far, resting his forehead on Eddie's own before his eyes fall to the scars on Eddie's shoulder from his time in the war. It's not something Eddie likes to remember, or talk about but Buck finds himself fascinated by the scars, his fingers trailing slowly on the puckered flesh. He can feel Eddie tense for a moment before he relaxes, Eddie's own fingers tracing a small pattern on his neck before they trail to the scar on his throat.

Buck finds himself freezing, eyes widening in surprise at his reaction as he looks towards Eddie, his stomach fluttering when Eddie pushes him to his back and then shifts his own body so that he's hovering over Buck. Buck can only blink as Eddie looks at him before he leans down, kissing him a few minutes later. Buck finds himself getting lost in the kiss, his hands moving from Eddie's arms to Eddie's neck, then his back, fingers trailing shapes as Eddie pulls away.

With Eddie staring at Buck, Buck feels himself turning red, still not used to the intense look in Eddie's eyes - that it's focused on him, that Eddie ---

Before Buck can even begin to spiral with his thoughts, Eddie is leaning forward and kissing Buck's birthmark and Buck finds himself blinking, stilling once more as Eddie hums and then kisses his lips once more - and then his tracheotomy scar again, and then down Buck's chest. The kisses on Buck's chest are feather light, but there's a little bit more pressure from some of Buck's surgery scars when he had his pulmonary embolism.

With his eyes fluttering shut, Buck finds his fingers in Eddie's hair, tightening a little before a small moan breaks free as Eddie grabs his hands and pins them to the bed before he begins kissing the scars on his arm from the tsunami and helping the lady out at Halloween. He kisses down those scars and Buck finds himself opening his eyes, panting lightly as he looks at his boyfriend and sees Eddie looking back up at him.

Eventually, Eddie slowly kisses down his stomach, and Buck can't help but wonder if Eddie is going to blow him, but before the thought is finished, Buck sucks back a breath when he realizes Eddie is moving to his bad leg, kissing the scars from the bombing of the fire truck.

His entire body relaxes as Eddie looks up at him and continues to kiss his scars on his leg and Buck -- Buck loves this man, loves him so much.

"Eddie," he whispers, heart pounding when Eddie stops kissing Buck and moves up once more staring at Buck with a smile.

"I love you," Eddie whispers, kissing him and Buck moans softly, the two of them getting lost in one another now that Buck finds himself thoroughly turned on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy. Please think about leaving a comment, as they motivate the hell out of me. ♥


	5. a little flirt here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _hiii!!! can i please have a buddie fic where eddie lets himself into buck's loft because buck isn't answering the door and then buck comes out of the bathroom fresh from the shower, wearing a towel and his hair is all plastered around his head like a golden retriever caught in the rain? if not, it's no prob, just tell me so i can pass the prompt to someone else :) p.s. no established relationship, please!_

He had tried knocking for a good few minutes but when Buck hadn’t answered, Eddie had used the key Buck had given him, entering the apartment slowly and looking around for his best friend. When he didn’t see Buck in the kitchen or the living room, Eddie found himself frowning before looking up at the stairs, recognizing the water running in Buck’s bathroom. With a soft sigh, Eddie slowly made his way up the stairs, calling Buck’s name to let his best friend know he was here.

By the time he had gotten to the top of the stairs, the water had been shut off and Eddie, distracted, hadn’t realized. At least, not until Buck called his name and Eddie turned around from the photo of Chris and Buck that Buck had displayed, blinking in surprise at the sight of Buck in just a towel — with water dripping down his body. His mouth dropping open in surprise, Eddie couldn’t help but stare at Buck, his eyes widening as they roam Buck’s body, his throat going dry.

“My face is up here, Eds,” Buck chuckles and Eddie snaps his mouth closed, cheeks flushing red as Buck smirks at him when Eddie can finally meet his eyes. For Eddie though, that’s even worse because Buck’s hair is plastered all over, sticking to his forehead, his curls natural and Eddie – Eddie really wants to run his fingers through Buck’s curls.

Clearing his throat, Eddie tenses his hands briefly before doing his best to relax. “Sorry,” he replies with a small smirk, shrugging his shoulders, “Couldn’t help but enjoy the view,” he adds, teasing. It’s something the two of them have been doing more and more - openly flirting more, teasing more. Eddie can’t wait for when the time comes that they do something about their attraction to one another but right now…. right now he has to focus on something else.

“Well, as much as I –” Buck says, clearing his throats as his cheeks turn red and Eddie watches the rest of his body follows suit. Shifting a little, he lets out a small breath, shaking his head while Buck continues, “Enjoy you enjoying the view, what are you doing here?” Buck finishes and Eddie lets out a soft grin, sitting on Buck’s bed and relaxing.

“Chris is at my Abuela’s, and I was incredibly bored,” he admits, ignoring the way Buck laughs in response. He knows it’s a shitty excuse but right now – he doesn’t think either of them mind.

“Alright, well, I’ll get dressed and then we’ll decide what to do, yeah?” Buck asks, and Eddie hums, relaxing completely and arching one of his eyebrows, teasing as Buck laughs once more and turns around, dropping the towel completely, Eddie enjoying the view even more as he lets out a whistle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written for my 1k follower celebration on tumblr. Prompt was 'soulmates'.

Everyone knew the myth of the soulmate mark on the inside of your wrist. The mark on the inside of your wrist was rare - usually it would end up on the inside of any other body part, but that wasn’t important. It was the colors that mattered, because you could have the same soulmark as two different people, in the exact same spot as them, but if the coloring didn’t match, then they weren’t your romantic soulmate.

Buck found that out early on with Abby. They had the same mark - two hands holding one another’s wrists, but neither of their marks started turning a color after they met. Because that was the thing about soulmarks on wrists. They didn’t matter if the outline of the mark didn’t start turning the same color after you met a person. If you met a person, and they had a matching mark as you, and the outline of the mark didn’t begin to turn the same color? They weren’t your romantic soulmate.

If it did, then they were. And that was always a good sign. But it wasn’t until the marks started getting colored in that that really mattered - because that usually meant that you were emotionally ready to be with your soulmate.

And the day Buck met Eddie Diaz and saw his mark’s outline begin to turn a shade of teal - and Eddie’s matched? Buck hated him right then and there, because he had been hoping that maybe one day Abby – but that was never going to happen.

And of course, the world hated Buck because no matter how hard he tried to hate Eddie, he really couldn’t. Even after his wife returned.

Buck was sure that Eddie’s mark was a mistake, especially when he saw Shannon had the same mark. But her mark was gray, which meant death, and Buck didn’t ask any questions, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Of course, as the months went by and his outline started gaining more and more color, Buck – Buck didn’t know what to do or how to feel. Especially since Eddie’s outline was already complete and slightly shaded in. Buck didn’t know what that meant and a part of him wanted to. But another part of him really didn’t want to, either.

And then he was pinned under a fire truck, having a pulmonary embolism, stuck in a tsunami and suing the LAFD, and his outline was complete. That scared Buck more than anything.

But he ignored it, because it wasn’t shaded in completely though Buck knew he was head over heels in love with Eddie by that point in time, even with the silence of not talking about their marks deafening them.

And that was more than fine. That was perfectly okay.

And then Abby returned. And at the same time, Eddie’s mark became colored completely. And Buck felt completely lost.

More than lost - confused. He knew he loved Eddie but Eddie - Eddie never said anything, never looked at his mark, never – did anything about their matching marks with the colors but ignore it and Buck felt like that meant that he was for sure going to leave Buck.

Even if he wasn’t.

And then one day, his parents came by and dropped a bombshell on him and Buck – all Buck wanted was Eddie. And the next time he looked down at his mark on his wrist, he saw that it was completely colored. And then Buck knew.

He knew that even though his world was turned upside down, his parents were lying to him his entire life, and everything was changing, the one thing that was always steady and there for Buck? Was Eddie and Chris. And Buck knew that it was those thoughts that made him realize he was ready.

Ready for everything with the Diaz family. No matter how terrifying it was.

Which was why, when he entered Eddie’s home and stepped out of his shoes, he wasn’t surprised to find Eddie waiting for him on the couch, a soft smile on his face, most of the lights turned off.

“Hi,” Buck whispers, smiling when Eddie whispers a greeting back before Buck sits next to him and laces their fingers together.

“Thank you for waiting,” he whispers and Buck can feel Eddie nod before he raises their hands and kisses his knuckles.

“For you? Until the end of the line,” Eddie whispers and Buck smiles, finally feeling at home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part of my 1k followers celebration on tumblr, with the following prompt: _a hand holding scene during a tough call, and maybe later it turns into a feelings confession? feelings confessions are my weakness lol._

“Are you alright?” Buck hears Hen ask, voice soft, but he doesn’t reply to her, doesn’t even really look at her, either. He can see Chimney staring at him next to her, but he’s frozen, staring at the body of the woman that he had tried to save from the burning building but had failed. He had failed her, the same way he had failed Devon from so many years ago.

All Buck can see is Lisa, the woman he had meant to save, burned, the same way he had only seen Devon, flattened after falling, and he takes a deep gasp, eyes becoming wet as he lets out a small whimper, hating himself for it. He can see Hen and Chim move forward like they want to comfort him, but he shakes his head, eyes wide. He can’t speak, doesn’t really want to. All he really wants is to be left alone, to curl up in bed and just cry, because he can never handle losing people.

Before he can let his thoughts spiral, because he knows they’re going to spiral soon, he can feel Eddie at his side, the heat from his best friend’s body radiating over to him. Eddie grabs his hand and laces their fingers together and Buck – Buck blinks, turning towards Eddie slowly, eyes widening a little as he takes in the other man.

“Do you want to go home?” Eddie asks and Buck takes a minute before nodding, Eddie squeezing his hand once more before he stands up, bringing Buck up with him, not letting go of him, and Buck - Buck finds himself thankful for that. He doesn’t know what happens next, just knows Eddie talks to Bobby briefly and Bobby nods after looking at him before they’re in the truck.

“The truck isn’t home,” Buck whispers, and he feels something inside of him curl when Eddie snorts.

“No, but Bobby will get us to the station soon, and then we can go home instead of continuing our shift,” Eddie replies and Buck finds himself looking at his best friend in confusion.

“You’re going to drive me home?” Buck asks, and he doesn’t know why he feels so confused, doesn’t know why he doesn’t want to go to his apartment, or why when Eddie asked if he wanted to go home, Buck thought of Eddie’s home but –

“No. I’m going to drive you to our home. Because my house is more your home than your apartment and if there is one thing that’s not happening tonight, it’s you being alone,” Eddie responds and Buck blinks once more before smiling softly at Eddie and nodding, the warmth inside of him growing when he realizes that Eddie considers him – part of the family.

Eventually, Eddie sits next to him and is still holding his hand and Buck – Buck looks down at their hands, squeezing ever few minutes, cheeks turning slightly red as Eddie turns towards him and watches him. No one is in the truck yet, still working on whatever it is they’re working on so Buck finds himself looking up at Eddie, heart pounding inside of his chest as he tries to figure out what to say to his best friend.

There must be something on his face though because after a little while, Eddie lets out his own smile, placing his forehead against Buck’s, and Buck feels himself calming down, relaxing completely with Eddie by his side. After a few minutes, Eddie pulls away and Buck finds himself biting his lower lip, his hand squeezing Eddie’s before he lets out a soft sigh.

“I love you,” he whispers, unable to hold the statement in any longer. He can see Eddie freeze for a moment before he has a small smile on his own face and Buck can’t help but wonder what’s going on in Eddie’s mind.

“I know Buck. I was just waiting for you to catch up,” Eddie whispers and Buck lets out a little snort, rubbing his face with his free hand before resting his head on Eddie’s shoulder, squeezing Eddie’s hand once more.

“I just – I can’t handle–” Buck whispers, freezing briefly when Eddie leans forward and kisses him. Buck gets lost in the kiss for a few minutes before they both pull away at the same time, a smile on their faces.

“I know. And I can wait until you are,” Eddie whispers, and Buck nods, smiling once more, before Bobby enters the truck, ending the conversation completely.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part of my 1k followers celebration on tumblr, with the following prompt: _first kiss or maybe something valentines related for buddie?_

Buck was a nervous wreck. He had been dating Eddie for about seven months and even though those seven months have been amazing, Buck was a complete, nervous wreck because of their date tonight. And Buck normally wouldn’t be so nervous, except it was a date on Valentine’s Day, his second date on Valentines Day that meant something and Buck…really didn’t want anything to go wrong tonight like it did when he had been with Abby.

And Eddie - god bless his boyfriend because even though Eddie knew how nervous Buck was about tonight, he did his best to calm Buck down, his hands pressing down on Buck’s shoulders before wrapping around Buck from behind as he helped Buck with his breathing. They were just about to go out to the restaurant when Buck started to panic, started to worry that this could go wrong, and Eddie - God bless Eddie, Buck thinks as he tilts his head back and blinks up at the ceiling of Eddie’s living room slowly.

“Everything is going to be alright, Buck,” Eddie whispers, lips against Buck’s neck that leaves the spot tingling. Buck finds himself turning around, his own arms wrapping around Eddie as he let’s out a soft hum before he leans down and kisses his boyfriend. Before they can get too lost in the kiss though, Eddie pulls away from Buck and Buck finds himself frowning gently before Eddie smiles and strokes his cheek.

“We can’t be late to our reservation,” Eddie whispers and Buck nods, knowing it’s true. The reservation had been set up in early November, since the restaurant was wildly popular, and then plans had been made to have Eddie’s Abuela watch Chris for the night, something Chris didn’t mind too much since he missed his bisabuela. Buck and Eddie had done their best to make sure they didn’t work the day and night, and that they didn’t agree to anything either, which wasn’t easy since no one had been told, mainly because no one knew Buck was dating Eddie - something they both agreed on early in their relationship, wanting something just for themselves first.

But finally, the day was among them and Buck, while incredibly excited, was also incredibly nervous. Because he knew what his luck was like and he really didn’t want it to strike at this moment. But Eddie was by his side and Eddie was constantly touching him and doing his best to calm him down and Buck - Buck had absolutely zero qualms about that. If anything, Buck rather enjoyed being constantly reminded that he belonged to Eddie, and that Eddie knew how to help him in moments of stress and worry.

Getting into Eddie’s car, Buck slowly did his best to relax, knowing that if he continued to worry about something happening throughout the night, something would actually happen and that was energy that Buck really didn’t want to put out there. The drive is slow, music playing lightly from the radio in Eddie’s car, the two of them holding hands when Eddie can afford to do so. Eventually though, they arrive at the restaurant and Buck finds himself eternally grateful that he managed to score a reservation because the line up waiting to get in? Incredibly long and insane and not something Buck would want to experience on the night of romance that Valentines was.

The two of them enter the restaurant quickly, Eddie guiding him, a small pressure on the back of Buck’s back, something Buck finds himself thrilling over before they’re seated. The tables are nicely setup and the chairs are comfortable as Eddie sits in front of him, the two continuing to hold hands in the middle of the table.

Slowly, Buck begins to relax more and more, especially as Eddie and he order their meals, and their drinks and the food and everything else gets delivered. Buck has no idea why he was so nervous, not when Eddie is by his side and Buck can see Eddie arching his eyebrow, almost like he knows exactly what Buck is thinking, which wouldn’t be the first time really.

Eventually the two of them begin to eat, grinning at one another as they enjoy the meals they ordered. Just as they’re ordering dessert though, Buck finds his name being called by a familiar voice and with wide eyes, he turns behind him to find Maddie and Chimney staring at him from where they stand.

“Oh,” he whispers before turning to look at Eddie, his eyebrow arching a little as he silently asks his boyfriend how he would like to proceed. Buck knows it wouldn’t be easy to lie their way out of this - not on valentines day, not with how they’re dressed, and not with the fact that they’re holding hands like lovers that can’t let go of one another – which is, essentially, the actual case between them. But Buck turns towards Eddie just to make sure, and when Eddie nods, Buck finds himself relaxing even more before letting out a grin when he turns towards his sister and Chimney.

“What are you guys–” Chimney begins to ask before stopping with a snort.

“No, that’s obvious,” he adds before looking towards Buck with a smile. “How long has this been a thing?” He asks instead and Buck finds himself turning towards Eddie with a grin nudging him lightly with his foot.

“Seven months - almost eight” Eddie replies and Buck turns back around towards his sister, smiling at her when she hums thoughtfully.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re happy Buck,” She says and Buck nods. It hadn’t been easy, especially after their parents dropped by during her pregnancy but –

“Wait, is this why you couldn’t watch Evelyn?” Chim asks and Buck can only laugh as he nods, looing towards his boyfriend with his own smile, thankful for the night that they have together, especially with the fact that very soon they’re going to have their own news to share about a new child in the Buckley-Diaz family.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _prompt: hi! i thought of this during a recent re-watch of 3x02: that girl’s drone footage from before/after/during the tsunami goes viral online, and eddie sees the footage she captured of buck and christopher having their talk on the pier before the tsunami hit. seeing their obvious connection makes him have some realizations._

He doesn’t expect there to be any footage from before the tsunami when he goes looking. Hell, he doesn’t expect to go looking for footage in the first place, admittedly. But Maddie had mentioned it to him one day when they were comparing calls while Buck had fallen asleep with Chris and Eddie - Eddie needed to look for the videos she had mentioned.

So when Maddie makes her leave to go have lunch with Chimney, after they had both surprised Buck for a visit, and Buck is still asleep on his couch with Chris at his side, having fallen asleep after watching a few cartoons with Chris, Eddie very carefully moves to Buck’s island and takes his phone with him, pulling up the browser and typing in a few keywords into the search engine, hoping he finds the video Maddie had mentioned. It takes Eddie a few minutes of searching before he finds a web page filled with videos, and at that point, he feels like this is what Maddie meant when she talked about it.

He goes through the videos one by one, watching them carefully, looking for Buck in any of them, frowning when he doesn’t find him in one video after the other. It isn’t until he clicks on the last video that he sucks back a breath because the first second of the video, he recognizes Buck’s back on the edge of the pier and – Buck was literally at the edge of the pier. He was sitting on a bench, holding onto Christopher who was looking at the ocean. And Eddie - as Eddie watches the two of them talk, he can see the ocean recede and his heart pumps violently inside of his chest as more and more realizations course through him.

He’s so distracted by watching the video, and then re-watching it - watching as Buck turns to Chris, clearly having a conversation with his son that has him second guessing whatever he’s thinking about. Watches as Buck eventually realizes the water is gone, his eyes widening before he picks up Chris and books it - so distracted watching all of that that he nearly jumps out of his skin when Buck appears in front of him, asking him what he’s doing.

Eddie’s own eyes widen as he drops his mouth open in surprise before he closes it. Looking at Buck, Eddie can’t help but realize just how… involved Buck is, just how much of a parent he is. They’ve been dating for a few short weeks but Eddie - Eddie has realized rather quickly that Buck has been his boyfriend for much longer than a few short weeks.

“I love you,” Eddie whispers, leaning forward to give Buck a soft kiss, placing his hand on Buck’s cheek, caressing it softly once he pulls away, a small smile on his face. He can see Buck freeze for a minute, his eyes widening before he lets out his own soft smile, bumping Eddie’s nose with his own. Eddie can’t help but laugh, even as Buck takes his phone and scrolls through it, a small frown forming on his face.

“I hate remembering that day,” Buck whispers after he puts the phone down and Eddie smiles softly, turning Buck’s head so that he’s looking at him. He can see Buck’s eyes beginning to water and Eddie hates having put that there, hates that he even looked it up but –

“I wish you talked to me about it. About everything,” Eddie adds, running his fingers through Buck’s hair as Buck frowns once more.

“What do you mean?” Buck asks and after a few minutes, Eddie lets out a soft sigh before playing the video once more, turning it towards Buck, letting him watch the video with a small smile. The video is over quickly before Eddie is taking his phone back and wrapping his arms around Buck.

“I never realized just what it meant for you and Chris to be there that day. I was so worried about Chris that seeing the footage of you guys there, seeing how close you were to the ocean… it terrified me. And I wasn’t even there Buck. I’m so proud of you,” Eddie whispers and he can see Buck looking up at him and Eddie - Eddie can’t help but lean forward once more and kiss Buck, a small smile forming on his face as the two of them get lost in one another, their hands roaming each other’s bodies before Buck stands up and pushes Eddie away from him with a grin.

“Chris is waking up. We should stop,” Buck grins and Eddie can’t stop the chuckle that escapes from him as he hums softly before looking towards his son, taking Buck by the hand and bringing him back to Buck’s couch, relaxing against him when they finally sit down, Chris shifting so that his head is on Buck’s lap.

“Papa,” Chris whispers, looking at Buck and Eddie feels his heart absolutely swoon as he does so, his smile turning into a grin as he watches Buck hum and talk softly to Chris, Buck’s own fingers running through Chris’ hair, and Eddie - Eddie continues to feel happy where he is and who he’s with, not wanting anything to change.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _cuddling in bed_

The minute Buck blinks awake, he lets out a small groan and does his best to force his head deeper into Eddie’s side, the sunlight from the opened window making Buck whine slightly. He can hear Eddie chuckle from above him and narrows his eyes, lifting his head up a little to glare at his boyfriend. His glare softens though when he sees how soft Eddie looks, when he notices that Eddie is staring at him with a look on his face that Buck recognizes from when they first started dating - a look that has Buck’s heart beginning to pound in his chest, even as he lays back down, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s body.

“What are our plans today?” Buck asks after a few minutes, his hold on Eddie tightening once Eddie begins to run his fingers through his hair. It’s a gesture Buck loves, has him moaning softly, especially once Eddie tightens his fingers in the strands and tugs slightly. Eddie doesn’t respond - not immediately, and Buck finds himself getting lost in the feeling of Eddie’s fingers in his hair, his eyes slowly slipping close.

“Absolutely nothing,” Eddie responds, Buck blinking his eyes opened once more before turning to look at his boyfriend with a small frown.

“Why nothing?” Buck finds himself asking, tilting his head before relaxing again, a yawn escaping from him as Eddie chuckles. He knows he’s probably forgotten something the two of them planned, but he’s tired, and after working a twenty-four hour shift, he knows his boyfriend understands.

“Well, Abuela has Christopher for the day, since it’s Valentines Day. We don’t work, which means we get the entire day to ourselves. And I plan on spoiling the hell out of you. Which means doing nothing until you want to do something,” Eddie replies and Buck finds himself smiling, leaning up once more and kissing Eddie softly, biting at his lower lip before pulling away with a grin.

“So you mean to tell me, that we get the entire day to ourselves, and we can spend it any way I want?” Buck questions, arching his one eyebrow before he grins when Eddie hums and nods.

“Oh, that does sound perfect,” Buck chuckles, leaning back down again before wrapping his arms around Eddie and closing his eyes with another yawn.

“Then I suggest we just continue lying in bed so I can continue to cuddle you,” He says after a few minutes, kissing Eddie’s stomach as Eddie begins running his fingers through his hair once more.

“I can agree to that,” Buck hears Eddie reply before he eventually falls back to sleep, a smile on his face. When he wakes up later, it’s to Eddie’s arms around him and their legs entwined together and the sun high in the sky, the afternoon having started. Buck doesn’t mind though, not with him spending the day with Eddie, in the most perfect way ever.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _buck and eddie spend the night after christopher is in bed. fluffy please!_

“Stay the night?” Eddie had asked, voice quiet after Buck and him had read Christopher a story. Buck had been about to leave when Eddie had asked and Buck – Buck had been hesitant. Not because he didn’t want to spend the night, he very much did. But the question was loaded in a way that Buck knew if he responded positively, would officially change everything for the two best friends.

Because Eddie wasn’t just asking Buck to stay the night, no. Eddie was asking Buck to stay the night with Eddie, in his bed. And while Buck knew there wouldn’t be sex - not with Christopher home, not so soon in their brand new relationship, Buck was still very nervous, if only because it was a next step that was huge for both men. But looking at Eddie - looking at how hopeful he looked, Buck knew he couldn’t deny that man anything, so he nodded his head with a small smile and a small step, lacing their fingers together before Eddie brings the two of them to his bedroom.

Getting ready for bed isn’t as awkward as Buck thinks it should be - they take turns changing, brushing their teeth and going to the bathroom before eventually climbing into the bed Eddie has. Eddie climbs in on the right side, closest to the door - and Buck on the left, closer to the window. He feels awkward for a few, brief moments, before Eddie turns towards him and wraps his arms around Buck’s waist with a small smile.

“Is this okay?” Eddie asks and with a gulp, Buck finds himself nodding before slotting his legs between Eddie’s, arching his one eyebrow in a silent question, relief coursing through him when Eddie nods after a minute. The two of them stay like that for a few minutes, Buck tensing even though he tries his best not to. He knows there’s no reason to be tense, knows that Eddie – it’s Eddie.

He should be fine.

A few minutes pass before Buck hears Eddie sigh and he finds himself looking at his boyfriend, a sheepish smile forming on his face until Eddie leans forward and kisses him. The kiss doesn’t deepen, but it does relax Buck and Buck knows that was what Eddie was going for.

His boyfriend knows him so well, Buck thinks with another small smile.

“There’s nothing to be afraid about. Or tense with. It’s just me, Buck,” Eddie whispers and Buck nods, biting his lower lip.

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” Buck whispers, watching as Eddie smiles before he leans forward and kisses Buck once more.

“I’m going to guess it’s because the last time you were in anyone’s bed, it was Abby’s and that… didn’t end well for you. And so you’re worried now. But there’s nothing to worry about, not with me, alright?” Eddie whispers and Buck nods his head, quickly realizing that Eddie is no doubt right.

“You’re brilliant, you know that, right?” Buck whispers, ignoring the way Eddie snorts and smiles.

“Yeah. But how about we go to bed. The quicker tomorrow morning comes, the happier I’ll be” Eddie says and Buck finds himself frowning a little, confused by the sentence.

“Why?” He asks, tilting his head a little.

“Because then I get to wake up with you in my arms” Eddie whispers and Buck can feel himself turning red and he ducks his head, shaking it a little before he smiles, kissing Eddie and letting out a small laugh.

“Well then, let’s go to bed,” He says, voice soft before he cuddles into Eddie and closes his eyes, eventually falling asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _here's my valentine prompt: chris getting jealous that his dad and buck are going out to celebrate valentine's day and he has to stay at home..._

“But why can I come with you guys?” Chris asks, a small whine in his voice as he slowly follows his Dad and Buck around the main floor of his home a small pout forming on his face when both men continue to dress up without a response. He knows they’re not doing it on purpose - it’s their first Valentines Day together and they’re excited and Chris is excited for them.

Of course he is. Of course, he’d be more excited if he was going with them like he thought he was. But then his Dad sat him down a little while ago and said he was going to his Abuela’s and Chris had been confused and had asked why and his Dad –

Well, his Dad said it was just going to be Buck and him tonight and Chris – Chris really didn’t want that. He wanted to spend the night with his Dad and his Buck, like they did practically every other night. He didn’t understand why his Dad and his Buck wanted differently but –

“But why can’t I come?” Chris asks once more, the whine in his voice even louder than before, causing Buck to pause in the tying of his tie, arching his one eyebrow. When Buck steps towards him and then kneels in front of him, Chris looks up at him with his frown still in place, trying not to smile when Buck runs his fingers through his hair and then wraps him in a light hug before pulling away.

“Aw buddy, I know you want to come with us but –” Buck begins and Chris sniffles, looking up at Buck for a moment before wiping his eyes. He’s stupid, crying like this, but what was so wrong about wanting to spend the day with his Dads?

“But you’re Dad and I - did your Dad and your Mom ever go out, just the two of them, and leave you at home?” Buck asks and Chris nods, though he doesn’t really remember anything from that time period. “Well, it’s something that couples do. They love their kids, and they always want to spend time with them, but sometimes they want to spend time with one another, ” Buck replies and Chris finds himself frowning, wiping his eyes once more before looking at his Dad, standing across the room with a soft smile on his face, ankles crossed in front of him.

“It doesn’t mean we don’t love you any less, or we’ll stop doing things with you other days. It just means sometimes, we need time for ourselves,” Buck adds and Chris turns to look at Buck with a small sniffle before nodding his head.

“You’ll come home right?” He asks and Chris is immediately pulled into another hug from Buck, his arms warm and soft and Chris feels instantly at home, eyes closing briefly. When he opens them next, his Dad is hugging Chris from behind and Chris – Chris thinks he gets it.

“We’ll always come home bud,” Buck whispers and Chris grins, wiping at his eyes before nodding.

“Alright. I suppose it’s okay that you go out without me this time,” Chris says with a giggle as Buck kisses his cheeks and his Dad messes his hair up.

“Love you, superman. And when we get back, we’ll watch a movie alright?” Buck asks and Chris nods before he watches them finish getting ready then leave, excited for the day to hurry up and end.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _any fic with eddie or buck being jealous over marjan? i’m obsessed with the idea. love your blog <3_

“Who are you talking to?” Buck finds himself asking, foot tapping on the floor of the truck as Hen drives steadily on the highways. He tries his best not to look at Eddie a whole lot, but Eddie is looking at his phone with a grin. And that normally wouldn’t be cause for concern, except it’s the grin Buck usually sees at himself, or at Chris, so there’s something inside of him that squirms at seeing Eddie grin his grin with…someone that’s not him.

He’s pretty sure that didn’t make sense, but he’s trying his best not to focus on anything right now, lest he allows his jealousy to show.

“Marjan,” Eddie replies and Buck — Buck’s pretty sure he grimaced and Eddie is looking at him with a frown and Buck does not like that. He needs to backtrack, he thinks.

“That’s good,” Buck says after a few minutes, looking away as his foot continues to tap on the ground, his anxiety and jealousy rising. He can tell Eddie is still looking at him, so Buck does his best to not look back because well, Eddie could always read him incredibly well and Buck really doesn’t need Eddie to know he’s jealous.

“Do….you want me to stop?” Eddie asks and Buck swear he gets whiplash, turning to look towards Eddie with wide eyes, not quite understanding why his best friend would even ask him that.

“Why would I want you to stop?” Buck asks, looking between Eddie and his phone because yes, he does want Eddie to stop but –

“Well, you like her, right?” Eddie says and Buck finds himself blinking, looking at Eddie in confusion before letting out a small groan and shaking his head.

“If you want to talk to Marjan, talk to Marjan. I’m not going to stop you.” Buck says after a minute, throwing his hands up in the air before shifting a little, ignoring the smirk Hen throws his way through the rear-view mirror.

“Well,” Eddie sputters, letting out his own groan before Buck notices he shrug his shoulders. “Why does it matter if I’m talking to Marjan if you don’t want me to stop talking to her?” Eddie ends up asking and Buck - Buck looks at him carefully, a frown on his face before he shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Because he’s jealous of Marjan, Eddie,” Hen cackles and Buck’s eyes widen as he turns towards her.

“HEN!” He snaps, but then he feels a hand in his own and he turns back towards Eddie, his mouth dropping open in surprise when Eddie is smiling at him.

“Well, good. Because I was jealous thinking you wanted to be with Marjan,” Eddie says and Buck – Buck can’t help the grin that forms on his face in response, cheeks turning red as he does so. Maybe the drive won’t be so bad after all.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _buck's missing. after the argument or the secret. no one knows where he is. not at his apartment and most places are closed at that time if day but they don't know and no one seen him. eddie finds him in a hiding spot that's good for thinking and doesn't pry only is there for his friend as he process everything_

It was nearly eight at night when his phone had gone off, not once, not twice, but three times. Eddie had planned on ignoring it, but remembering that Buck was having dinner with his parents tonight again, he had grabbed his phone quickly, frowning at Maddie’s name appearing. Maddie didn’t often call him - hell, they didn’t often talk at all, Eddie thought as he answered the phone, but if something was wrong with Buck –

Well, Eddie needed to answer.

“Maddie, is everything okay?” Eddie asked, his frown growing as he hears Maddie, but can’t quite understand what she’s saying, with how fast she’s talking through the phone. She sounds panicked though, and that in turn makes Eddie’s own panic rise, and he quickly puts her on speaker before texting Carla, asking if she can come by for a bit to watch a sleeping Chris, that something is going on with Buck and he needs to be there.

Because he might not be able to understand Maddie completely, but he can understand that Buck knows what was being hidden from him, and no one has been able to find him since learning of it. When Carla confirms she’ll be there as soon as possible, Eddie finds himself letting out a small sigh of relief before interrupting Maddie, feeling a little bad about the added stress she must be going through.

“Maddie, Maddie, it’s fine. I’m pretty sure I know where he’ll be, so I’ll look for him and let you know, alright?” Eddie responds, smiling when Maddie confirms she understands before the phone hangs up. Carla arrives shortly after and Eddie finds himself incredibly thankful for the woman, especially since she is so understanding about his schedule changes.

“Go get your man, Eddie,” Carla replies after he explains things a little more to her, which causes Eddie to grin as he jumps into his car and heads towards the one spot he has a feeling Buck is at - the one spot he goes to to feel completely calm.

The park he and Buck usually take Christopher to. When he finally arrives to the park, spotting Buck is relatively easy - he’s sitting in front of the small pond, knees up against his chest and Eddie can tell by the shake of his shoulders that Buck has been sobbing the past little while.

Carefully walking up to the other man, Eddie sits down next to him and nudges Buck a little before wrapping his one arm around buck’s shoulder’s, bringing the man in to hold him as he continues to sob.

“You don’t have to talk, but I’m here for you, alright?” Eddie whispers, smiling when Buck nods before kissing the top of Buck’s head and rubbing at his back, even as Buck continues to cry into his chest, fingers clenching his shirt. Eddie will call Maddie back later he thinks. Right now he has a Buckley in his arms that is more important than anyone else - a feeling Eddie knows that Buck has never experienced before and that Eddie promises to prove to Buck the truth of - no matter what.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompts: _fic where they parents are still in town when buck gets trapped and he thinks that maybe this time they will show up and his hopes get high when maddie walks in the hospital room. but it’s only maddie, and buck knows without her even saying it that they didn’t come with her. and they are already on a plane back home_ , _maddie and buck decide to cut out their parents for good_ and _a fic where the buckley parents try and ask forgiveness from their kids but buck and maddie decide it's okay to not forgive them and cut them off_

His leg was sore - sore enough to warrant a small check up to the hospital, Maddie and Eddie by his side, with the rest of the 118 on his other side. He still couldn’t quite believe that everyone was there, even after the whole team explained why they loved him through the radio as he was trapped. Especially since it’s just a check up on his leg, making sure he doesn’t need any more surgeries or –

Well, Buck would be spiraling with those thoughts, if it wasn’t for Eddie sitting at his side, his one arm wrapped around him and Maddie holding his hand, dried tear tracks on her cheeks as she squeezed his hand to confirm he was still there, and everything was alright. Buck didn’t mind, even after their argument the other day - right now, he needed his family, and he was glad that they were there.

Sure, a part of him hated the fact that his parents were probably already driving back home - Maddie had essentially told him as much when she had first arrived at the hospital, Eddie gone to call Carla and tell her he was going to be late - that when she had gotten the call saying Buck was in the hospital from Chimney, their parents had been there, and when Maddie had said they should come, they had shaken their heads and said they were going home, instead.

So yes, he rather hated being reminded of his parents, and being trapped all over again, but if it wasn’t for the 118 – Buck is pretty sure he wouldn’t be here in the first place.

It was that moment, of course, while they were waiting for an update from the doctor and Buck was thankful for the 118, that he felt Maddie tense, Chimney begin swearing and Eddie mutter words in Spanish, his voice furious. Not quite sure why the change, Buck looked towards the door before tensing himself at the sight of his parents in the door, hesitantly looking around.

“What are you doing here?” Buck asks, shifting slightly, doing his best to sit up more in the bed, even though he really doesn’t need to at the moment. His parents take a step closer and Buck finds himself blinking, pushing his back into the cushions of the bed as his parents - his Mom - sighs.

“We just - we wanted to apologize Evan,” His mom begins and Buck finds himself blinking, not quite understanding, a small scoff escaping from him.

“For what? For not loving me when Daniel died? For not being there for me? For thinking nothing else mattered after Daniel died? Not even me? For… just having me as a way to use me? For ignoring Maddie when she needed you most? For ignoring both of us when we needed you most?” Buck begins, his heart rate pounding even though Eddie is doing his best to calm him down, kissing his shoulder to remind him that he’s not alone.

“For–”

“It doesn’t matter, Mom.” Maddie interrupts, taking a step forward before straightening up. “You – we don’t want you here. You’ve ignored us and emotionally abused us and Buck is right. You forgot about us when we needed you most,” Maddie says, and Buck squeezes her hand because he knows how tough this is.

“But Maddie, the baby needs a family–”

“The baby will have a family, Mrs. Buckley,” Chimney interrupts, arms folded in front of his chest. “The baby will have us and my family and the 118.” He finishes, smiling over at everyone.

“These people? These people are my family. And it wasn’t easy for me to see, so caught up in my insecurities but they’re a better family than you and Dad have ever been,” Buck finishes, looking around the room with smiles before narrowing his eyes at his parents. “Please leave. Maddie said you were already on your way home earlier anyways, so I don’t know why you’re here other than trying to make yourself feel better.” Buck finishes.

“And don’t call us,” Maddie adds, hunching over slightly when their parents look towards her before standing tall and proud.

“These people are my family, and Buck is right. They’re a better family than you’ve ever been,” Maddie finishes with narrowed eyes. It’s a few minutes later that the Buckley’s leave the room and Buck feels himself relaxing, Eddie’s fingers running through his hair as Maddie squeezes his hand once more.

“We did the right thing right?” She asks and Buck looks towards her with a small grimace, shrugging his shoulders.

“Even if you didn’t, we’re a family” Bobby says, his own smile appearing on his face. “We’ll be there for you, and we’ll help you,” he finishes and Buck - Buck nods, knowing that he’s right, looking towards Eddie with his own smile before leaning back into Eddie’s arms, closing his eyes and hoping the doctor arrives soon so he can leave and go home with Eddie.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the following prompt: _maddie makes a buck box and all the others add stuff to it. everyone is there after that happens to see him open it as he sees his firefam loves him_

“Maddie, what are you doing here?” Buck finds himself asking when he opens the door to his apartment with a small frown. He had just sat down to eat something and watch some television when the knocking arrived and, feeing slightly frustrated, had answered the door ready to chew out whoever was visiting. He knew it wasn’t Eddie and Chris, since those two had only left an hour or so ago, so not having expected anyone else, Buck was, of course, confused.

Until he saw it was his sister, and that she was a carrying her Maddie box. As resentful as he felt about his parents making Maddie a box and not him - no matter what the fucking circumstances were, he thinks - he doesn’t allow his heavily pregnant sister to carry the box into his home, even if things are tense between them.

Placing the box onto the table in front of his couch, Buck sits down after a moment, looking at his sister, wondering what’s going through her mind. She’s shifting, playing with her shirt, nervous and Buck – Buck wonders what’s going through her mind.

“Mads–”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you the truth sooner, Buck. I was just…. I never got to mourn him because of what Mom and Dad made me do and I guess I just –”

“I know, Maddie,” Buck interrupts, placing his hand on top of hers and squeezing gently. “I might not be happy with them, or how they…. handled the situation but I’m not blaming you. You could’ve told me sooner, sure, but, I get why you didn’t,” Buck replies before hugging his sister. After pulling away, she has a soft smile on her face before she turns towards the box.

“I felt bad, that they never gave you a box. And I know that it probably had you thinking no one cared for you. But that’s not the case, Buck, and I wanted to prove that you,” Maddie says, opening the box. Buck blinks in surprise because there’s the photos and letters he sent Maddie when he was traversing the world, but he can also see –

“Are these –” Buck begins, blinking, ignoring the smile Maddie throws his way.

“I got the 118 involved in providing items for the box too. I needed to show you you had a family, Buck. Might not be conventional, but we’re there for you,” Maddie says. Buck goes through the items, spotting a few cards Chris had made him, various mementos from Eddie of the times they’ve spent together - the items high in count, some photos from various events, one of the first recipe’s Bobby had helped him cook, a small keychain of a video game controller that Buck has a feeling is from Hen, a pair of handcuffs that has Buck arching one of his eyebrows before he notices a note from Athena explaining why they’re there, which has him chuckling and from Chim –

“Did he really give me a piece of his rebar?” Buck asks with a snort chuckling when Maddie nods with a laugh.

“Said you helped him a lot then. That the piece was a reminder of that. He also included the bracelet from when he was stabbed and you saved him,” she whispers and Buck finds himself wiping his eyes, nodding before turning towards Maddie and hugging her.

“Thank you” he whispers, closing his eyes, feeling at peace for the first time since everything went to hell in a hand basket.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to send me prompts, you can do so on my tumblr, siriuslyjamie.


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